People like to share stories about the worst mistakes they’ve made speaking a foreign language. Asking your father-in-law to pass the condoms instead of the jam (préservatif =/= preservatives) Casually telling people that you’re horny while taking off your sweater (je suis chaud vs j’ai chaud). But my worst mistake is way more basic than that. Once … More Adventures in Spelling
I feel like I’ve been writing all day… I spent all morning writing cover letters, updating CVs, composing emails. I spent a few hours this afternoon writing responses to my online bookclub, engaging and discussing with other readers. Then, I edited all that job stuff some more. What’s worse is they’re all in French (except the … More writing and writing and writing
I’m sure everyone knows by now that the iPhone “personal assistant” Siri is one sassy robot. Try asking her how old she is, or to make you a sandwich, or to marry you, and she will shoot back with a pithy, often scathing remark. Being a nerd, my phone settings are in French, and so Siri … More Bonjour Siri!
One of my great friends in Chambéry was an outspoken and inquisitive Italian named Elisabetta. We hung out practically every weekend, cooking with friends, watching movies, but we had rarely spent much time one-on-one, mainly because we were surrounded by so many wonderful friends. One weeknight during the February vacation, all our friends had returned … More Sopranos and Soccer Stars: why I chose French
Have some jokes courtesy of my newly opened bag of Carambars! Quelle est la plus vieille ville du monde ? Milan ! Quel super héros donne le plus vite l’heure ? Speed heure man ! Que font deux brosses à dent le 14 juillet ? Un feu dentifrice ! Quel est le comble d’un juge … More Un oeuf is enough
One of my French teachers once observed the difference between French and English: English has a million words which all have the same definition. French has only a few words which all have a million definitions. How confusing is it that Je suis means “I am” but also “I follow” depending on the context. And don’t even … More The chicken.
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